Role of Space-Time in Jaina's Syadavada and Quantum Theory

Book Details:

• Author: Filita Bharucha

• Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 1993

• ISBN: 9788170303848

• Pages: 78

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 21.5 cm x 14 cm

• Weight: 220 gm

About the Book:
This unique interdisciplinary work by Filita Bharucha bridges ancient Jain philosophical thought with modern scientific theories, particularly Einstein’s theory of space-time and the quantum mechanics of Heisenberg. The book delves into how Eastern philosophical frameworks—especially the Jain doctrine of Syadvada or the theory of conditional predication—resonate with modern scientific ideas such as the Uncertainty Principle and quantum logic.

Structured into six insightful chapters, the book begins with a historical exploration of the advent of space-time theories in both ancient Indian and modern Western thought. In particular, it highlights how the Jain concept of reality—marked by multiplicity, conditionality, and non-absolutism—can complement the probabilistic nature of quantum physics. Chapter 2 focuses on the Jaina view of reality as a modern perception of space and time, demonstrating the compatibility of Syadvada with non-classical (deviant) logic.

Further chapters analyze the role of universals, thought experiments like Reductio ad Absurdum, and the general theories of space-time as conceptualized in topological and logical frameworks. The final chapter includes a paper presented by the author at a 1992 seminar in Berlin, emphasizing probability in physical sciences and possibility in social sciences—suggesting a matrix and geometric formulation of space-time.

The book also includes truth-tables comparing Jain Syadvada and quantum logic, offering readers a logical and visual method of understanding the parallels between these two complex systems.

This groundbreaking study provides not only a comparative philosophical framework but also invites readers to consider a new empirical standpoint for interpreting our micro-world. It questions the determinism of Newtonian physics and explores how causality may evolve in the 21st century under the influence of quantum and philosophical uncertainties.

Ideal for scholars of philosophy, science, Jain studies, and those interested in the convergence of ancient metaphysics and contemporary physics.